Job Description

Knowledge & Communications Manager

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

CIxe2x80x99s Africa Field Division is prioritizing rangelands as a key pillar to realize the vision of a prosperous Africa by 2030, by developing and implementing nature positive economies across 70 million hectares of oceans, forests, mangroves, and rangelands. The Africa Rangelands strategy is centered on a goal to restore and sustainably manage 20 million hectares of rangelands in Africa by 2030 in a way that advances human well-being, ecosystem resilience, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and sparks a continent-wide rangelands movement urgently needed to reverse degradation.

Herding for Health (H4H), a community development model that promotes conservation outcomes while supporting pastoralists living in rural areas to find their way out of extreme poverty, is a key pathway that will enable CI to deliver rangelands restoration at scale. The model follows a holistic, community-driven approach to address challenges faced by farmers living in and adjacent to protected areas. Core to Herding for Healthxe2x80x99s implementation strategy is the use of Stewardship Agreements, which are co-developed with communities to help overcome opportunity costs associated with certain conservation practices. Conservation Internationalxe2x80x99s Pro-Nature Enterprise project is currently implementing this incentives-based conservation model in South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia, mostly through the Herding for Health approach. The project has dedicated enterprise development interventions within and beyond rangeland restoration.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position could be based in Johannesburg-South Africa, Cape Town-South Africa or Nairobi-Kenya. A remote location could be considered.

The objective of this role is to document, manage and disseminate lessons learned from the implementation of Herding for Health to a diverse target audience in a variety of formats suitable for communication. The Knowledge and Communications Manager will work closely with rangelandxe2x80x99s science and communications team, as well as contracted consultants, to support the production and dissemination of communication materials that will raise awareness and promote the Pro-Nature Enterprise project and the Herding for Health programme. Duties are performed under general supervision.

The Knowledge and Communications Manager will lead and coordinate Component 4 of the Pro-Nature Enterprise project, titled xe2x80x9cLearning, documentation, dissemination, and policy influencingxe2x80x9d. This component aims to document and disseminate lessons learned from implementing an incentive-based conservation model in the target project sites. Additionally, it aims to influence local public policies on community-based natural resource management models. The successful candidate will form part of the Africa Rangelands Program team and closely work with CIxe2x80x99s broader communications team to provide leadership and support to achieve Component 4 goals, for which progress has already been made.

Within Component 4, there are three study topics, each with their own research lead. The topics are:

• Economic drivers for behavior change and adoption of sustainable rangelands management;
• Non-economic (social) drivers for sustainable rangelands management;
• How to accentuate CBNRM using conservation agreements.

In addition to supporting the Pro-Nature Enterprise team, the Knowledge & Communications Manager will contribute to the ongoing science endeavors within the broader Herding for Health Programme by coordinating the research activities across the three topics and by helping to facilitate learning across sites. The successful candidate will be responsible for integrating, and disseminating, the knowledge gained through the Pro-Nature Enterprise research into relevant organizational scientific work and will be responsible for keeping up-to-date with the broader science goals within the organization, working closely with the rangelands science portfolio to ensure that research goals remain aligned.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead Pro-Nature Enterprisexe2x80x99s Component 4

• Take overall leadership of Pro-Nature Enterprise Component 4 activities. This involves setting the agenda and coordinating all on-going topics of study.
• Directly and actively support the three study topics, including coordinating data collection and partner engagement. This will be done in close collaboration with the thematic topic leads.
• Play a central role in the preparation and hosting of the learning network meetings.
• Take a lead in the general knowledge management functions of the Pro-Nature project including:

• Preparation of quarterly newsletters.
• Documentation of case studies and lessons learned from project sites.
• Updating of project communication materials (factsheets, online tracker, reports, photos, etc.).
• Compilation and design of all project materials.
• Archival and organization of project materials in Sharepoint.
• Ensure project partners have updated their monitoring matrices and ensure the overall project monitoring matrix is updated.
• Support in organizing project meetings, including steering committee meetings, stakeholders meetings, and trainings.
• Providing content, with consultation from the project team, for communication requests from the donor.
• Assist the Pro-nature Enterprises project manager with general coordination tasks.

Herding for Health Communications

• Together with the broader Herding for Health communications teams, develop a draft communications strategy and enable a broad uptake and understanding of the strategy across the regional programme.
• Regularly conduct collaborative assessments of target audiences and key messages for each audience.
• Develop supporting templates, presentations, case studies, and other relevant materials (e.g. factsheets, videos, etc.) to support the communication strategy and key scientific outputs.
• Procure the services of any designers, writers, etc. for the development of materials as needed.
• Disseminate materials on appropriate public and online platforms in line with the communications strategy.
• Manage and execute a content calendar for social media, blog posts, and other external communications and clarify key messages and target audiences in line with the communications strategy.
• Oversee social media outputs by various staff, interns, and consultants across the regional programme.

• Working with Herding for Health partners, co-develop content for an updated Herding for Health website.

• Feed relevant scientific findings and key knowledge to help create rangeland-related newsworthy pieces.

Additional Responsibilities

• Assist with logistical support, as and when needed, especially for science-related field work.
• Provide communications support for workshops, meetings, and other special events for both internal and external participants.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Typical office environment.
• Ability and willingness to travel on a regular basis to field sites within southern, and east Africa and when needed other countries in the rest of Africa where CI is supporting H4H implementation.
• Flexibility to work extended hours to meet deadlines.
• This position follows a hybrid work structure, working some days from the office and some remotely. Guidance will be shared during the interview process.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Undergraduate degree in Communications and/or Marketing.
• 4 to 6 years of related work experience in knowledge management and/or sharing of science-related communications.
• Experience in, or demonstrated knowledge of the principles of, rangelands management, rangelands ecology, agriculture, rangelands economics or other relevant field, is an advantage.
• Experience in hosting and facilitating knowledge-sharing events and platforms.
• Experience with a variety of communications media and software is an advantage, e.g. Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premier Pro, or similar.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Basic administration and coordination skills are essential.
• Highly familiar with etiquette, protocol, and employing cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Proven team player.
• Self-driven with strong leadership and performance management.
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a dynamic environment.

Preferred

• Postgraduate degree.
• Experience with implementing a communications and marketing strategy will be an advantage.
• Good academic credentials and a good portfolio of communication products.
• Ability to bring a sense of fun and aliveness/flow to the team is an advantage.

To apply for this position please submit a resume and cover letter.

Application Deadline: October 16, 2023 (11:49 PM EST)

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Conservation International is an equal opportunity, affirmative action, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility-committed employer. We are proud to have a diverse, global workforce where employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, position requirements, business needs, market conditions, merit, and other legitimate nondiscriminatory factors.

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